News:

"There is a terrible desperation to the increasingly pathetic rationalizations from the climate denial camp. This comes as no surprise if you take the long view; every single undone paradigm in history has died kicking and screaming, and our current petroleum paradigm 🐉🦕🦖 is no different. The trick here is trying to figure out how we all make it to the new ⚡ paradigm without dying ☠️ right along with the old one, kicking, screaming or otherwise." - William Rivers Pitt

Older people with high levels of cynical distrust had a more than 2.5 times greater risk of developing dementia than those with low levels.1 Cynical distrust is described as believing that most people are self-interested and out for themselves as opposed to looking out for the community and others.

Some experts describe it as a form of chronic anger. 2 The finding adds to growing research showing that negative emotions, and cynicism in particular, may lead to poor health. It's dangerous in a number of ways.

For instance, cynical people are more likely to smoke and gain excess weight, and less likely to exercise. They also struggle more with stress and have higher levels of chronic inflammation, which is linked to chronic diseases including dementia. For instance, research has shown:

•Women with cynical, hostile attitudes are more likely to die prematurely and have higher rates of death from coronary heart disease than women with "positive future expectations" 3

•People with cynical attitudes may suffer more from stress, and do not get as much of the stress-buffering benefits offered by positive social support 4

•Cynical hostility is associated with poor oral health 5

•Cynical hostility is associated with increased markers of inflammation, which may contribute to increased heart risks6

It's now undeniable that your emotional health engages in a continuous, intricate dance with your physical health, such that it is virtually impossible to untangle the two. As noted by Dr. Stephen Sinatra:7

"Suppressed anger, rage, loss of vital connection (heartbreak), and emotional isolation and lack of intimacy with others are all 'hidden' emotional risk factors that can contribute to the development of heart disease.

Many cardiologists fail to recognize these psycho-emotional factors which often underlie other commonly recognized risk factors such as excessive smoking, inappropriate diet, and even high blood pressure and cholesterol levels."